We're continuing my conversation with journalist & best-selling author of Prisoners of Geography, Tim Marshall. On this episode, Tim tells me how the journalism landscape has changed, and the importance of geographical context in understanding current affairs and geopolitics.

I’ll be back again next week with a special Encore episode with two of my earliest guests—Jalal Abu Ghazaleh and Dalia Sultan, co-founders of Gourmet Egypt—and the amazing story that led to their incredible IPO earlier this year.

Chapters:

0:00 Coming up...

10:40 The importance of geography in current affairs

15:24 The new world order

This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!

Tim Marshall joins me on the show this week to talk about his journey from starting out with the British Royal Air Force to his three-decade career in journalism and now best-selling author of ‘Prisoners of Geography’.

We also talk about the importance of understanding geography and how that intersects with current affairs and geopolitics. This is particularly relevant considering the ongoing war in the Middle East. More on that in Part 2 which comes out next week. 

This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!

I’m continuing my conversation with Thuraya Ismail, CEO of Mentor Arabia, an organisation dedicated to improving the well-being of the Arab youth. On this episode, Thuraya shares her insights on drug prevention, overcoming stigma and how this work intersects with her other passion for arts & film.

Chapters:

0:00 Coming up

3:27 Tackling drug prevention

12:12 Impact of Saudi Vision 2030

14:14 Supporting youth through arts

16:13 Expanding Mentor Arabia

This episode is brought to you by:

• EFG Hermes One: your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!
• Azza Fahmy Jewellery

I’m delighted to welcome Thuraya Ismail. She's the CEO of Mentor Arabia, an organisation dedicated to improving the well-being of young Arabs in general, and towards drug prevention in particular. Since its launch in 2006, the organisation has reached more than 1.5 million beneficiaries and now operates across 12 countries. Stay tuned for more on that in Part 2 of our conversation next week.

I’m really impressed with Thuraya’s work, and I was happy to sit down and get a real in-depth look at her personal journey, including losing her father last year, and her work to mentor the youth of our region.

Chapters

0:00 Coming up...

7:36 Career Beginnings at UNDP 

13:53 Love for youth development

18:40 Transition to Mentor Arabia

21:52 Personal loss

29:00 Lightning Round

This episode is brought to you by:

• EFG Hermes One: your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!
• Azza Fahmy Jewellery

On this episode, you'll hear about the incredible message through art with designer Nada Debs and entrepreneur Sarah Beydoun, and the importance of preservation from Omniya Abdel Barr and artist Louis Barthelemy. This episode is part of our new segment, Double-Take, where I take a deep-dive into a single topic and connect the dots between some of our best conversations.

This episode is brought to you by Azza Fahmy Jewellery⁠

This episode is brought to you by EFG Hermes One, your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!

I'm re-connecting today with award-winning film producer Mo Hefzy. Since I first spoke to him in 2022, Mo has had a series of successful releases, including 'Flight 404', 'Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo', 'Darwish', and many more. 

This episode is part of Encore, where I check-in with some of your favourite WIDN alumni. We’ll continue this segment with more of the show’s alumni, so stay tuned. 

Chapters

0:00 Welcome to a new Encore

0:44 Growth of Saudi cinema

2:50 Challenges in Egyptian cinema

8:00 The impact of streaming

23:34 The Lightning Round

We’re continuing my conversation with legendary architecture Abdel Wahed El Wakil. Today, we’re diving deep into the world of architecture and materials. This episode is a crash-course whether you're in the field, an enthusiast like me, or just want a better understanding of the world around us. Abdel Wahed also tells me about the spiritual connection that traditional architecture fosters with nature and our experience as humans.

Chapters 
0:00 Coming up 
0:35 The masters of modern architecture 
10:43 The essence of traditional art 
13:02 The shift to individualism 
19:20 The significance of courtyards 
20:31 The importance of brick 
27:16 Timeless Truths

This episode is brought to you by:

• EFG Hermes One: your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!
• Azza Fahmy Jewellery

I‘m joined today by a legend of from the world of architecture, Abdel Wahed El Wakil. I sat down with him a couple of weeks ago in Doha, where he now lives, to document his incredible journey, his vision for architecture as an industry, and Islamic architecture in particular.

Abdel Wahed has designed buildings around the world, including in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Paris and London. He also studied and worked under his mentor, Hassan Fathy, an architecture legend in his own right.

Chapters:

0:00 Coming up

10:42 Architecture's Purpose

19:10 Materialism vs Spirituality

23:21 Cultural Revolution

26:34 Designing for the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies

37:58 Reviving Community Spaces

41:40 Lightning Round

This episode is brought to you by:

• EFG Hermes One: your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!
• Azza Fahmy Jewellery

I'm re-connecting today with celebrity chef & author Bobby Chinn. I first spoke to Bobby during the summer of 2021 in preparation for Season 2. That feels like such a long time ago, we were just 8 episodes in at the time, and we're now in our 6th year with more than a 100 episodes!

You can listen to that episode in your podcast app or our website.

This episode is part of Encore, where I check-in with some of your favourite WIDN alumni. We’ll continue this segment with more of the show’s alumni next month, so stay tuned.

Chapters 
0:00 Coming up... 
2:03 Bobby's dream project 
4:00 Sustainable seafood 
10:11 Crying on TV 
15:21 Climate Change and Food Systems 
24:43 Lightning Round

We’re continuing my conversation with luxury travel journalist and editor Maria Shollenbarger. Today, we’re delving into the travel industry—how and why certain destinations trend over others, how preferences have changed since COVID, and the future of travel in the age of AI. 

I’ll be back next week with a new Encore episode with all-round rockstar Bobby Chinn.

Chapters

0:00 Coming up...

2:30 Travel in a post-COVID world

5:56 The Impact of Social Media

7:22 The role of Airbnb

9:03 Life as a Travel Journalist

11:47 The evolution of luxury travel

16:37 Travel in the age of AI

This episode is brought to you by:

• EFG Hermes One: your one app for investing in more than 35 stock markets. Start investing today!
• Azza Fahmy Jewellery